Mads Mikkelsen Shares The Inner Workings Of His Indiana Jones Villain

This June, theatergoers will be able to see Harrison Ford’s final on-screen performance of one of his most iconic characters in the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Actor Mads Mikkelsen, who plays the film’s antagonist — a former Nazi scientist named Jürgen Voller — spoke recently to Entertainment Weekly and explained the mindset and philosophy of the character he portrays. Mikkelsen said that finding a modicum of common ground helps him in portraying that sort of character.

“I think the passion for what he does and passion for what he’s looking for, without giving too much away, and the passion for him knowing that this can make the world a better place — all that I can identify with. [But] what does a better place look like? This is where it gets tricky,” Mikkelsen stated. “So I just have to leave that out, and then I can replace the end goal with something else [in my mind]. And then it’s recognizable, for me at least.”

Making Voller a clear villain doesn’t seem to have posed a significant problem for Mikkelsen, however. The actor referenced his familiarity with historical events in the aftermath of World War II, including the infamous Operation Paperclip, where multiple Nazis were recruited into US government employment. “Well, if you’re a believer into a certain ideology, obviously, your end game would be that that ideology will be the winning hand, right? And that can come in many shapes and forms. I do think that he disagreed with Hitler on a lot of things. And [his ideas] might even be a better version than Hitler’s, but still, one man deciding everything is never a good solution,” Mikkelsen elaborated.

Mikkelsen also enjoyed his time sharing the screen with Ford and praised his work as both a performer and a colleague. “…he’s just a fantastic actor. He knows exactly what he’s doing wherever the camera is. And he doesn’t use enormous means to tell a story. For me, he’s like Buster Keaton, who kind of invented the close-up. He didn’t run to the camera, he made the camera come to him. And it’s wonderful to be that close to see him work. It was just a wonderful experience for me,” Mikkelsen concluded.